Fiddler on the Roof – the Legacy of William Cooper

Uncle William Cooper (1860- 1941) was an Indigenous activist and leader of his community, who also saw the injustices of the world around him, at a time when his own people were struggling for acceptance and their place in Australian society.

When William Cooper heard of Kristallnacht in far off Europe, he organised for a delegation of Indigenous men and women to march to the German consulate in Melbourne, and presented them with a letter condemning the Jewish persecution. The Germans refused to accept the letter, but simply presenting it made Cooper a hero, especially in the eyes of the Jewish community.

Now, 79 years after that act, Cooper’s grandson, the 88-year-old Alfred Turner, known as Uncle Boydie, an Indigenous leader and hero in his own right, wishes to travel to Berlin so that the German Government of today can finally accept the letter of his grandfather and thank him for it.

Uncle Boydie, as a representative of his grandfather and of Indigenous Yorta Yorta soldiers who fought in World War I, has also been invited by the Australian Government to lay a wreath at the official centennial commemoration of the Light Horse Charge that will take place in Beersheba on October 31 of this year.

Fiddler on the Roof will show in Heidelberg. A percentage of sales will go to the Legacy of William Cooper project.
Tickets: $35 or $25 concession.

Welcome to Country

Shepparton Interfaith Network acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land and community. We pay our respect to them and their cultures, and to the elders both past and present.